Three Holy Days

From the Heart...

Nearly everyone has a favorite holiday.  My favorite is these three holy days ~ the Triduum.

Holy Thursday liturgy is rich with beautiful memories from the life of Jesus.  Throughout scripture we are lucky to have a view of Jesus sharing meals with his friends but none so memorable as Jesus sharing the Passover meal on the eve of his death.  During this meal, Jesus chose to give us the gift of the Eucharist and while I have intense love of the Eucharist, the most beautiful elements of Holy Thursday for me are the moment that Jesus knelt to wash feet and when he knelt in prayer and agony in the garden.  The two show the very human side of our Lord. 

 

As Jesus washed the feet of his friends, he gave us the most humble example of how we should treat each other.  He sat with his friends sharing a meal knowing that he would be facing death.  In time of trouble, Jesus showed us to whom we should turn, our loving Father.  In agony he prayed that God would release him, yet honored God and surrendered to his will. 

Good Friday.  Two cross beams – a symbol of torture and a symbol of my salvation.  The silent solemn gathering as we behold the wood of the cross always brings tears to my eyes.  As I venerate the cross, I can’t help but wonder if I am worthy of the suffering that he bore on my behalf.  When I think of the nails piercing those beautiful hands, I am filled with an incredible sense of being loved - for he showed us that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend.  I am forgiven and redeemed by his blood.

Easter vigil ~ darkness is turned to light as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.  I love watching the spread of light as darkness is pierced by each flickering flame.  It is incredibly moving to witness someone stepping into the baptismal waters and stepping out claimed for Christ in anticipation of their confirmation and first Eucharist.  The gates are open for he is alive.

Come celebrate these three holy days.

#washfeet   #iamforgiven    #beamazedbythelight

Shalom,

Tina

The Desert

From the Heart . . .

Recently Father Balash spoke about the desert in his homily.  As he talked of the desert being filled with things that bite and burn and sting I could not help but feel that this is exactly where I am right now – in the desert.  The sting of death has burned a hole in my heart and I wonder if it will ever be full again.  I find myself withdrawing inward much like Jesus withdrew to the desert to enjoy quiet time with God.

The more I reflect on Jesus praying in the desert and my current journey in the desert of my heart, I am gaining a new awareness of the power of prayer.  I have spent a lifetime turning to God but none of what I have experienced holds a candle to how I have clung to God these past several months as I watched my beautiful mother as she lay dying.  I cannot find words to describe the inner peace that comes when one surrenders all that they are to God.

Father Balash described the desert also as a place of life, for in the coolness of evening, desert flowers bloom and creatures come out of their hiding, no longer in fear of the blistering sun.  It made me think of my little Christmas cactus, a gift given to me years ago by a student.  While that cactus has not bloomed every Christmas, I remember how it bloomed the year my son and daughter-in-law were expecting their first child and low and behold, that cactus bloomed this year.  It was a vivid reminder to me that life goes on.  Those beautiful pink flowers reminded me that the life which awaits us is so much more than what we have experienced here on earth.

Father reminded me that I am not alone in this desert . . . Jesus paved the way for me . . . Jesus went there first, and he stands right alongside me as the hole in my heart is filled with visions of everlasting life.  When I vision my beautiful mother in the arms of the holy one I realize there is no sting in death after all.

#jesusopenedthegates #heisalive #iamforgiven

Shalom,

Tina